VELA Sailing- Dave Ullman J/70 Interview

Vela Sailing.TV had a nice, introspective look at the J/70 class and its meaning to Dave Ullman, multiple World Champion in a variety of classes, including 470s and M24s.  Said Vela Sailing.TV, "We talked to Dave Ullman after the first day of racing at Key West Race Week. He had solid results, granting him and his crew a first place on the first day of racing of the J/70 class. Here is the interview (with an involuntary break ). This is fresh out of the race course, no time to edit it, but really good information and race approach. Enjoy!"

Fast, Moon-lit Lauderdale-Key West Race

(Ft Lauderdale, FL)- After last year's race that saw a massive front pummel the fleet at the start, kick up ginormous waves in what anyone would describe as "fresh to frightening" weather conditions followed by an ominous "dead calm", this year's event will go down in the history books as positively benign for virtually all competitors.  After a lightish southeasterly breeze kicked in at the start, the entire fleet took off on a port tack fetch and as they bent around the keys with their right-turn signals flashing, and while simultaneously avoiding the gnarly reefs to starboard, the fleet set spinnakers and flew towards Key West in what was seen as a near-perfect, moon-lit evening for a sail-- your basic "walk in the park" as some wags put it!

By the next morning, in what is a 15 hour race for the bigger faster boats and about a 24 hour race for the 35-45 footers, the winds had abated and got lighter and shiftier.  The stragglers saw a classic NW cold-front blow in with 30 kts out of the North, but all the J's had already finished as had 98% of the fleet-- all enjoying the extraordinary distractions on-shore that Key West is most famous for.  In fact, just before noon most of the J sailors had crossed the line before the tide turned against them at 1400 hrs.

In the IRC Class, it was the beautiful, flag navy blue J/120 REBECCA sailed by Glenn Gault that managed a 4th place in a super-competitve fleet of the IRC rule-beaters.  In the end, REBECCA managed to beat out an Aerodyne 38, Swan 42 and Class 40 on corrected time honors!

The PHRF A Class saw two knowledgeable and fast Lauderdale-Key West campaigners take two of the top three spots on the podium.  The J/122 TEAMWORK nearly pulled off a "three-peat" but managed to miss by a mere six minutes! Ouch.  And, how many places could that time have been made up taking better gybe angles or shifts last night?!  Most likely, too many to count as is the case so often in the offshore game.  So,  Robin Team's TEAMWORK crew from North Carolina had to settle for second on corrected time!  Third just a half hour back on corrected was David Bond's fast, elegantly maroon-colored J/105 LOKI from Miami, FL.   Sailing photo credits- Marco Oquendo- imagesbymarco.com
For more Lauderdale-Key West sailing information

Australian J/70 Blasts Local Sailing Circuit

(Sydney, Australia)- Way, way Down Under, it's true all the "ex-convicts" are having a lot of fun in life, work hard/ play hard, love water-sports and, more importantly, love sailing!  The first J/70s have arrived in Sydney and the atmosphere surrounding the boat is simply electric.  As savvy sailors, Aussies know a thing or two about performance boats and, especially, sportboats.  After all, it's the home of the famous "Ate-teen"- e.g. the  18-foot dinghy with a cloud of sail.  Cool stuff, very cutting-edge- the Editor and his brother have sailed them and "I-14's" and loved them. That said, it's nice to hear the J/70's debut in the recent Australia Day Regatta (Jan 26th) was a lot of fun.  Here's the account of that experience from Ray & Sandra Entwistle:

"Sandra had a great day on the harbour and a Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron Australia Day regatta to remember.  It was the first  regatta for our new J/70, the first one into Australia. We were placed in Division 2 against much bigger boats. The competitive fleet consisted of Beneteau 35s, J/35s, Etchells 22s, Northshore 370, Bavaria 38 Match, Hick 32, GP26, Flying Tigers, Alerion 33 and a Thompson 7, to mention a few.

It was a 20 -25 knot nor’easter and the harbour was very busy and choppy with all the Australia Day traffic.  After a 2.2 mile beat up to Obelisk Bay and then a two sail close reach across the harbour to Lady Bay, we were pleased with our J/70s upwind performance and the way it was dealing with the waves and slicing through the chop. We even managed to get through the very well sailed Thompson 7 upwind, the Alerion 33 and a few others. At Lady Bay we popped the spinnaker to go back down the harbour to Nielson Park. Blast off!! The J/70 took off planing instantaneously as soon as the spinnaker filled. We started raking in more of the fleet and rounded Neilson Park with a few more boats behind us on the water. Again we held our own on the beat back up the harbour to Obelisk Bay on the western shore. From Obelisk the second time around was a broad reach into Rose Bay, kite up and wooosh the J/70 exploded into 16 and 17 knot bursts and the crew were elated and astounded at how easy the J/70 was to sail even at these crazy speeds.  We passed another group of much bigger boats in our division, waves and ‘thumbs up’ signs from competitors and other boats as the J/70 did her thing down the harbour with spray and wave-skipping becoming the norm as the J/70 kissed speeds in the high teens. We managed to fly the spinnaker further than most into Rose Bay and were the first to hoist again after the gybe on a tight spinnaker reach between Rose Bay and Shark Island. We  knew once the speed came on we could sail higher at maximum velocity as the apparent wind comes around and that’s exactly what happened.

The J/70 was absolutely flying, we were passing more boats in our division through a blur of spray and weaving through everything else in the busy Australia Day regatta. We knew we had done well as we went through the line just a few seconds behind the big Bavaria 38 Match and one of the J/35s.

After reading all about the fun the 39 x J/70 s were having in Key West this week it was a great feeling to join the excitement and go out in our first real regatta and win with 4 minutes to spare on handicap and finish an incredible 3rd on scratch against so many well sailed big boats in a choppy seaway. Many thanks to our crew Peta and Ian who had a thrill sailing the J/70 for the first time.

We have more J/70’s arriving this week and all are looking forward to some class racing soon – come and join the fun and see for yourself why this is the fastest growing sportsboat in the world today! To learn more about the J/70, please contact Ray at Yachtspot in Australia- Ph +612 9449 4976 or email- info@yachtspot.com.au

VAYU 2 Wins J/80 Midwinters

(Key West, FL)- Enjoying yet another Midwinter Championship in Key West since 1994, the J/80 sailors simply know a good thing when they see one.  Jumping at the opportunity to sail their Midwinters in the gorgeous aquamarine waters of Key West, the J/80s have enjoyed great sailing more often than not every January, relishing the chance to toss out the holiday trees and put away the trimmings and gifts to head south for the warm breezes, sunny skies, great competition and fun times in the overgrown village known as Key West-- the capital of the Conch Republic.

The experience is what counts and Ron Buzil and Andrew Kerr sailing VAYU 2 from Chicago, IL would not miss the Quantum Key West/ J80 Midwinters for anything in the world.  Sailing well, they managed to eclipse their fleet and "almost" win the party on land, too.  They left those honors up to their colleagues.  John Krediet and crew on PARTICIPANT III sailed well and pulled off a string of seconds to secure 2nd overall.  Long-time Long Island sailor and J/80 owner Gary Panariello sailed the great yacht COURAGEOUS into 3rd overall.    Sailing photo credits- Onne Vanderwal   For more J/80 Midwinters/ Quantum Key West sailing information

J/122 TEAMWORK Wins Key West PHRF

J/109 RUSH Runner-up PHRF B
(Key West, FL)- While there were lots of little boats blazing around like busy bees on the waters off Key West, the majestic beauty of the "big boats" was quite a sight to behold.  This year, the big J's all sailed on the Division 3 course, the easternmost course for Quantum Key West and perhaps one of the best sailing areas due to less current and flatter waters with minimal boat traffic to worry about.

Two particularly notable veterans of campaigning in Key West both showed their colors again, making the most of their "local knowledge" to be class leaders after sailing the full compliment of ten races.  One of them was Robin Team sailing his highly competitive J/122 TEAMWORK, who are now working on a three-peat.  Fine-tuning their performance ever more, the TEAMWORK crew rattled off six 1sts and three 2nds to win their class by a comfortable margin in what might easily be described as near-perfect "J/122 weather"- 13-19 kts of breeze most of the week.

For the next three places, it might as well have been watching the local Key West roosters engaging in a classic "cock fight" on the street.  As a veteran Key West sailor, it was clear a few feathers certainly got ruffled by the J/111 debut of Bob Hesse and gang on LAKE EFFECT.  A native Youngstown/ Rochester sailor, Hesse and his crew are no strangers to the waters of Key West, having sailed competitively in the past in the pro-based Melges 32 class.  It all came down to the last three races for the top five.  In the end, Hesse's crew managed a 1-4-4 to grab second overall, sneaking past Jim Bishop's modded J/44 WHITE GOLD who posted a 3-5-6 to finish third.  Getting the short end of the stick in the shoot-out was Bishop's WHITE GOLD, having to settle for the bronze on the podium after scoring a 3-5-6.  Sailing ever more consistently, faster and smarter, was Doug Curtiss on the famous J/111 WICKED 2.0, sailing to a 2-3-3 to tie WHITE GOLD, but lose the tie-breaker.  Another notable performance towards the end of the regatta was the J/111 FIREBALL sailed by Team Fireball, a very recent class newcomer.  With its blazing sunset orange paint job, it was a spectacular-looking boat and in the end, fired-off a 2-2 on the last day to show they had learned a thing or two from their comrades-in-arms!  Good on ya, mates!

Meanwhile, in PHRF B, it was a tale of three winds.  Light air Monday.  Moderate to heavy Tuesday to Thursday.  And, moderating, shifty Friday.  After the first three days, it was clear the class leader was Bill Sweetser's J/109 RUSH- a 2-1-2-1-3-2 would reflect that leading position.  Nevertheless, it was not to be.  A 5-5-3-2 in the last four races sunk their chances to win their class.  Other than tanking the start of the regatta, the J/120 gangsters on Glenn Gault's REBECCA just about "iced" the rest of the races with a 1-1-1-2-2-4 after they started to learn how to sail "Key West".  Mo'power to them next year.   Sailing photo credits- Onne Vanderwal   and Tim Wilkes.   For more Quantum Key West PHRF sailing information

Epic Key West J/70 Midwinters

Healy Wins, Keane Close Second!
(Key West, FL)- "It felt like 1978 all over again – debuting a new class in Key West with top sailors and family teams from around the country participating. This time, 35 years later, it was the J/70 capturing the headlines, blogs, and video feeds beaming around the planet, though the J/24 was never far from mind.  At almost every turn, there was a J/24 champion from one of the past four decades walking by on the dock admiring the J/70, including several who happened to sail in that famous 1978 J/24 Midwinters like Mark Ploch, Bryson Hall, Dave Ullman and Bill Shore," said Jeff J.  Then, there were the "new kids on the block", like past J/35 North American Champion Bob Hughes and J/80 champions Bruno Pasquinelli keeping the fleet "honest" as to who knew how to sail sportsboats fast.

Most teams arrived over the weekend and all launching and hauling took place at the Truman Annex (former US Navy base) facility equipped with a super wide launching ramp (can launch three boats at a time) and two "cherry picker" hoists (bless, those guys) that tossed in/hoisted a boat every 5 minutes.  The industry showed up in force with about half a dozen rigging trucks, and suppliers like Southern Spars, Harken, Marlow, Torqeedo and the top sailmakers all on hand to support the owners.  Chris and Julie Howell, the new administrators of the J/70 Class had their RV onsite all week helping get folks registered for the class and equipped with member stickers and royalty tags. Saturday evening was a J/70 owner's reception at Kelly’s (Race HQ) where Chris and Julie and the founding group of J/70 Class officers were introduced to the sailors.

Racing was fantastic with 12 races in 5 days, including two 3-race days.  The first gun wasn’t until 11:30am and the fleet was usually dockside by 4. Half the boats dry-sailed out of the Annex and the others wet-sailed. Once people got into the rhythm of hauling and launching every day the dry-sailing went very smoothly and most thought they’d do the same again next year.   The J/70 program was by far the most affordable ever done at Key West and a big reason so many KW veterans came back this year. It was also the first time in years the event permitted a boat under 24’ to compete, a nice testimony to the confidence the organizers had in the ability of the boat to handle whatever Key West dished out for weather conditions.

As Craig Leweck, of Scuttlebutt fame, pointed out, "it's the right boat at the right time.  When nearly a third of the boats in Key West are competing in one class, and when that class is a one-design boat that has yet to celebrate its first birthday, the question that we ask is---what gives?  Already the magazines have heaped praise on the boat:

Sailing World - Boat of the Year
SAIL - Best Boat - Performance 30ft & under
Yachts & Yachting - Boat of the Year - Performance Boat under 30ft
BOOT Dusseldorf- European Yacht of the Year- Special Category
 
"The Key West J/70 fleet will represent about 1/3 of U.S. built J/70s to date," explained J/Boats' President Jeff Johnstone. "A Key West debut was a natural. Several owners competing had expressed their interest early on that it would be great to get 'back' to Key West in a smaller, more affordable program. There's also a portion of the fleet that are experiencing the event for the first time. This is all a bit of flashback when you consider that Key West is where the J/24 kicked off its first class event back in 1978. And in fact some familiar faces like Mark Ploch and Dave Ullman, who raced in the first J/24 Midwinters, are competing in the J/70 class this week."

The extraordinary growth of the J/70 class is a testament to the marketing ability of J Boats. "It's really exciting to see a class that has only been around for four months become the largest one design class at Key West RW by almost double,” said David Ullman, President of Ullman Sails International. "I jumped at the opportunity to sail in the class because it'll be the starting block for a new and potentially big one design class, which is exciting to be a part of. Plus, the popularity of the boat has attracted a field of first rate competition."

What could be most interesting is not only who wins, but how did they win.

"Most of the one design sailmakers will be there to see how well they have done with sail development and getting the most performance out of the boat," noted Jud Smith of Doyle Sails. "It will be interesting to see which teams and sail designs find themselves on the podium on Friday. The crew weights will be different among many of the teams and that may turn out to be a big factor depending on conditions during the week."

J/70 was the largest class at Quantum Key West 2013 with 39 boats and the boat was showcased with some spectacular racing. North Sails pro Tim Healy and his experienced team on HELLY HANSEN seized the lead on Thursday then held it by winning both races on Friday, which featured 14-16
knot winds. Geoff Becker (tactician), John Mollicone (trimmer) and Dave Reed (foredeck) comprised the crew on HELLY HANSEN.

"It was really fun to figure out how to sail the boat. Right up to the last race we were working on tuning and experimenting with techniques," said Healy, a J/24 World Champion who was making his J/70 debut. "We went out early every morning and tinkered with sail trim and rig tune. We made progress every day and the crew worked very hard at fine-tuning every maneuver."

After a slow start the first day, Healy's team took a top 15 position with a 23-14 after the first day of sailing and simply worked harder than anybody to put together ten straight races mostly in the top three, winning five of them.  It was an impressive debut for a long-time J/24 sailor, especially since this was Tim's first "sportboat" event, learning the ropes on the fly especially downwind on how to simply sail faster.  Everyone else was right there with him on steep, steep learning curves figuring out how to start, how to round marks with their newfound crew members and how to get going fast upwind and downwind in the planing conditions the fleet saw for four of the five days.

Chasing Healy all week was past Key West J/105 and J/80 Champion, Brian Keane on his renowned SAVASANA.  Like Healy, he also had a slow start out of the blocks on the first day, posting an equally impressive 15-25, a near mirror image of Healey's first day exploits.  Gotta love it, eh?  However, loving the breezier conditions as Keane often does (former College Single-handed Champion in Lasers, too), he and the SAVASANA crew took off and posted nine top 5 results!  Behind them from Ft Worth Boat Club in Texas was the team of Loring/ Pasquinelli sailing STAMPEDE who also shared a similar pattern to the other two leaders.  Starting off the first day with a blistering 18-33, the STAMPEDE boys shook off the cobwebs and sailed to mostly top 5 finishes for the next ten races to snag third for the regatta.  Rounding out the top five were Peter Duncan and Juddie Smith sailing RELATIVE OBSCURITY finishing 4th and first day leader, Dave Ullman and Tommie Lihan, sailing TEAM 69 to fifth overall.  Notably, class newcomer Bob Hughes (of J/35 and Farr 40 Heartbreaker fame) sailed his J/70 HEARTBREAKER to sixth place, just 6 pts out of 4th overall, the difference unfortunately being an OCS and RDG that materially affected his chances for a top three finish.

For the first time, a Corinthian Class was also sailed for by the purely amateur boats and the competition was hot in this grouping.  David Franzel (Somerville, MA), Founder and Executive Director of the Boston Sailing Center, captured the Corinthian portion of J/70 class sailing his boat SPRING and finished 8th overall in the main fleet.  Just behind him in 9th overall and 2nd in Corinthians was the brother team of Blake & Lud Kimbrough sailing NOSTALGIA from Newport, RI.  Finishing third in Corinthians and 14th overall was Bryan Elliott and David Hyer on B-SQUARED.  Thanks for the contribution from Craig Leweck/ Scuttlebutt.

Sailing World's Dave Reed Interviews of the winners:
Tim Healy- http://www.sailingworld.com/videos/all/2013-quantum-key-west-tim-healy-interview
Tim's Tricks for boat-prep- http://www.sailingworld.com/videos/all/healys-j70-tips
Dave Franzel- http://www.sailingworld.com/videos/all/2013-quantum-key-west-dave-franzel-interview

Sailing photo credits:
Onne Vanderwal- vanderwal.com
Tim Wilkes- timwilkes.com

For more J/70 Midwinters/ Quantum Key West sailing information

Bacardi Miami Sailing Week Ready to Roll!

J/70s & J/80s Racing on Biscayne Bay
(Miami, FL)- If you didn't get enough of Vitamin D in Key West (or need more), then you absolutely must enjoy one of the most entertaining events on the winter racing calendar, known simply as "The Bacardi", to soak up more of that famous cool winter sun in Florida.  First started in Havana, Cuba, "The Bacardi" has grown famous for hosting the International Star class's pre-eminent winter event in the Northern Hemisphere.  Recently, the famous trio of clubs in Coconut Grove (Biscayne Bay YC, Coconut Grove SC and Coral Reef YC) have played host to both the Bacardi Cup and the Bacardi Sailing Week, providing fabulous race-course management and gorgeous sailing on the emerald waters of Biscayne Bay. Sailing this year will be the International J/80 Class and it will also mark the debut of the J/70 Class-- which recently made a stunning debut in Key West.

With winter sailing season in full swing, it's time to take a spin down to Miami's warm, sunny days, with pleasant 10-16 kt sea-breezes and have fun with your family and friends.  "The Bacardi" also happens to be one of the most "kid-friendly" venues anywhere, with lots of pools, grass, sailing, exploring, beaches, shopping and Miami Seaquarium to keep the gang busy and having fun!  Plus, the international vibe of South Beach can't be beat for dining, music and evening entertainment and you have the "The Grove's" casual, laid-back, campy atmosphere for more sybaritic relaxation-- you actually can have the best of both worlds!

So, now is the time to get hopping and register for BACARDI Miami Sailing Week (March 6th- 9th for J/70s and J/80s)-- close your eyes and start dreaming about being in sunny Miami. Don’t wait any longer! March is around the corner and you want to take advantage of the discounted registration rate until it lasts.  Sailing photo credits- Onne Vanderwal    For Bacardi Miami Sailing Week sailing and registration information

J/80 Teams Training for Marseilles Worlds

(Marseilles, France)- In just about six months, over 150 J/80s are expected to participate in the J/80 Worlds hosted in Marseilles, France from July 6th to 13th.  A majority of the fleet will most certainly come from France as it has evolved as the largest one-design class in the country, some fleets will send over a dozen boats.  Strong contingents will also include Spain, home to the past few year's World Champions, as well as strong contenders from England, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Sweden and Denmark.  Over 15 nations are expected to be represented at the event.

Marseilles is a remarkable place to sail, situated as a city-by-the-Mediterranean sea at the southern end of a long chain of mountains that are part of the French Alps.  If weather fronts aren't passing through and generating good breeze, the near "adiabatic" winds that can be generated in the form of "mistrals" and "sea breezes" provide the sailors plenty of challenges as they look for advantage on the race course.  As a result, the Match Race France event is always held in Marseilles in their fleet of J/80s, part of the World Match Race Tour.   For more J/80 Worlds Marseille sailing information

As part of team training, it's evident many French fleets and others around Europe are already making preparations to be in top shape for the event.  Here's a quick synopsis of what is happening so far in France:

J/80 La Rochelle, France:
Despite the fact it's middle of winter on the Bay of Biscay, several J/80s have already gone sailing in the New Year!  Four boats went training, BALAJO, CHARLY, J'ILE DE RE and JYPSIENS.  Saturday it was very cold and rainy but all were bundled-up to stay warm! At 1400 hrs, the boats went out in a fresh 20 kts NE breeze for about three hours of sailing on small douses and performing both boat speed and boat-handling maneuvers.

On Sunday the teams sailed from 1000 hrs to 1530 hrs with a WNW wind 10 knots and above all a beautiful sun! The program again for the day was speed tests, adjustments, and course exercises. All of this was filmed and recorded with GPS for debrief and analysis afterwards onshore.  Thanks to contribution from Ann-Pascale.

J/80 Pornic, France:
Like their friends in La Rochelle, the Pornic fleet is starting its training this coming weekend.  About twelve boats are expected on the water for training.  Great weather with 5-10 kts northerly winds swinging WNW, sun and a pleasant temperature are expected.

J/80 La Trinite sur Mer, France:
This year, the La Trinite J/80 fleet is hosting its 5th edition of La Trinité J/80 Challenge! There are always five weekends planned for a combination of training and racing with commentary/ analysis afterwards.  To make it fun, the top three events will be selected for the general results.  The format for each weekend is:
- Saturday- training with a specific theme and coach
- Sunday- racing short courses with results counting for the Challenge.

On the last weekend, the races will take place on Saturday and the awards ceremony on Saturday evening.  This year, each weekend is named after one of our sponsor/ partners!

1 - Nautic Sport - 2/3 February
2 - La Plancha - 16/17 February
3 - Casino Partouche - 2/3 March
4 - Armorlux - 16/17 March
5 - Zing Café - 23/24 March

Finally, for SPI OUEST France, on Friday, March 29 at 18:30, there will be a "Soiree Nacional" that will honor the best crews of all fleets in France.  Thanks for contribution from Arnaud Walter.
For more information on French J/80 sailing & training events.

J/70 European Yacht of the Year!

(Dusseldorf, Germany)- While on display at Dusseldorf, the world’s largest boat show, the J/70 was named "European Yacht of the Year- Special Category".  While several J’s have been previously nominated, the J/70 is the first winner.  On hand to accept the award was Didier Le Moal, President of J/Composites.

Here is Dieter Loibner’s report from boats.com: "Finally, the secrets are out- during "Flagship Night" following the opening day of the Düsseldorf Boat Show, the winners of the EYOTY contest got on stage. The "Who’s Who of the international boat business" gathered at the gala "Flagship Night", sponsored by the German publisher Delius-Klasing, to witness the awards of this year’s European Yacht of the Year contest.

After thoroughly inspecting and testing the 25 nominated boats in Southampton, England and La Spezia, Italy the international expert jury returned the following winners:  "Special Yachts- J/70".  Nominated late as a substitute, the American-designed J/70 swayed the panel with a flawless showing during the last, and final, test days in Italy. Good acceleration, easy and precise on the helm, featuring a simple yet functional layout and a very effective sail plan, the J/70 will excite racing sailors and family crews alike. It’s the first J/Boat with a lifting keel, and it turned into a smashing success."

Said Jochen Rieker from Germany's YACHT Magazine, "For the tenth time, the international award of "European Yacht of the Year", is the annual contest that awards Europe's best new boats with the "Oscar of Water Sports".  The jury is made up of the test judges and chief editors of the eighteen leading sailing and powerboat magazines in Europe.  Every year in Europe there are nearly 100 new sailboats on the market but only five will earn the coveted title of "European Yacht of the Year 2013".

Yachting World (UK) editors had this to say, "Don't be surprised to see this one-design pocket-rocket to sell in the thousands. She sails as good as she looks, fast and fun, stiff as a board, and manageable but with more than a twinkling of J-style off-wind thrills. She represents good value, too, as I've no doubt she'll command a high resale price."

For those of you who missed seeing the remarkable BOOT Dusseldorf Show, please be sure to visit the two shows in The Netherlands-- BOOT HOLLAND or the famous HISWA Amsterdam Show.  BOOT HOLLAND runs from February 8-13 in Leeuwarden, see the J/70 on Stand# 5079 (http://www.bootholland.nl).  From Mar 6-10 is the HISWA Amsterdam Boat show- Amsterdam, Holland (http://www.hiswarai.nl/).  Please be sure to contact Robin or Angelique Verhoef at J/Benelux, hosts of the show, at Ph. +31-78-630-5505 or email- info@jboats.nl.

St ANDREWS Wins Primo Cup

(Monte Carlo, Monaco)-  The first weekend of the 29th edition of the Primo Cup – Trophée Credit Suisse has just finished in breezy 20-knot conditions which saw six fabulous races over the two days for the twenty boat J/24 fleet.

Having searched for wind on Friday further offshore, only to have it filling in with a vengeance in the bay, the Race Committee led by Thierry Leret decided to keep the competitors safe in the more sheltered Cap Martin area. With gusts of up to 35-40 knots, it proved a wise decision not to start any races that day. With a full complement of races behind them over the last two days of the event, the international crews again had an opportunity to start their racing season early in windy, not-so-wintery conditions!  Amongst the J/24 class, five nationalities participated.

Ian Ilsley and François Brennac on St ANDREWS won overall and were awarded the 2013 J/24 Class Challenge Trophy, presented by J Boats (Italy) which from now on will award the winner of this series at the Primo Cup – Trophée Credit Suisse every year.  St ANDREWS sailed a consistent series, scoring a 1-2-1-3-3-1 for 8 net pts after throwout.

“With are very pleased with this victory, a very important year for us, as we are not only preparing the European Championship in Monaco but also the World Championship in Ireland, to be held in August in Howth”, commented Ian Ilsley. An active and dynamic member of the Yacht Club de Monaco, he is also behind the Monaco Team Race, a new J/24 event due to take place in Monaco from the 8th to 10th March 2013 which has attracted nine teams from key European Yacht Clubs.

Just behind them and never far from taking the gold was the Greek team sailing EVNIKI. Her crew, ranked 5th at the 2012 European Championship, were there to experience the Monaco waters in anticipation of the 2013 J/24 European Championship, being held in Monaco from 5th to 12th October. They were not here just for "show & tell", they even managed to win two races, scoring a 2-3-ocs-1-1-4 for 11 net pts.

Rounding out the top five were Blandine Medecin's team on TOPO TOO sailing to a 5-1-ocs-2-6-2 for 16 net pts to secure third overall. Blandine was the top woman sailor at the event. Lying  in fourth was long-time class veteran from the United Kingdom, Stu Jardine sailing JULIA (a.k.a. "Stouche") to an 8-5-12-4-2-5 record for 24 net pts.  “Another great Primo Cup with great weather conditions and it is very good to see that the sixteen Monaco boats are competing to a much higher level,” said Stu Jardine, a seasoned series’ racer with many top level titles to his name.  Finishing behind them in fifth was the second woman skipper, Anne Rodelato sailing JOKER to a 10-4-2-8-9-3 scoreline for 26 pts.

The Primo Cup in J/24s were also a family affair in the top five!  Special mention should be made of the Rodelato family from Monaco, enthusiastic members of Yacht Club Monaco and avid J/24 sailors.  Both Claude and Jean Rodelato sailed with Blandine on her third place finishing TOPO TOO.  And, Anne Rodelato, of course, was the skipper of JOKER in fifth place.  Congratulations to all and keep having fun sailing in the beautiful waters off Monaco!   Sailing photo credits- Carlo Borlenghi/ YC Monaco   For more Primo Cup- Trophee Credit Suisse sailing information